Writing A Review of A Film

Writing A Review of A Film

    Written by Ari Julianto


 




I. Definition
Based on American Heritage Dictionary (6162) the word review is defined as follows:
re·view v. re·viewed, re·view·ing, re·views.
— v. tr. 1. To look over, study, or examine again. 2. To consider retrospectively; look back on. 3. To examine with an eye to criticism or correction: reviewed the research findings. 4. To write or give a critical report on (a new work or performance, for example). 5. Law. To reexamine (an action or a determination) judicially, especially in a higher court, in order to correct possible errors. 6. To subject to a formal inspection, especially a military inspection.
— v. intr. 1. To go over or restudy material: reviewing for a final exam. 2. To write critical reviews, especially for a newspaper or magazine.
— n. Abbr. rev. 1. A reexamination or reconsideration. 2. A retrospective view or survey. 3. a. A restudying of subject matter. b. An exercise for use in restudying material. 4. An inspection or examination for the purpose of evaluation. 5. a. A report or an essay giving a critical estimate of a work or performance. b. A periodical devoted to articles and essays on current affairs, literature, or art. 6. a. A formal military inspection. b. A formal military ceremony held in honor of a person or an occasion. 7. Law. A judicial reexamination, especially by a higher court, of an action or a determination. 8. A musical show consisting of often satirical skits, songs, and dances; a revue. [Probably from Middle English, inspection of military forces, from Old French revue, review, from feminine past participle of reveeir, to see again, from Latin revidKre :
re-, re- + vidKre,

Meanwhile Leo et al (2007: 137) states that a review is a critical assessment in a newspaper, a magazine, or on the internet. the review may be a review of a book, a play, or a film. or something else.

II. The Purpose
The purpose of writing a review is to let the reader know whether it is worthwhile to read a certain book, to view a particular film, or to attend the performance of a play.

III.  The Elements To Be Considered
1. Bibliographic Elements
This includes the title of the film, the screen writer, the producer, the director, the film company, the date of the release and the achievement in awards,

2. Plot
Ade (2008: 40) defines plot as the central plan or an outline of events in a play/film. The plot refers to the story that a play/film tells. Normally, the events are arranged sequentially. This does not happen all the time. Some of them distort the sequence of events.
How is the plot constructed?
Is there a pattern of repetition?
Is there a climax?

3.Setting
This includes the location, the sets, the props, and the costumes. Setting generally refers to the location of a literary work. The setting is a reference to the placement of a work in both time and place. The locale or environment in which a story is set will determine a lot about it. The setting is often related to the focus or concern of the play/film.

4. Theme
Each play/film makes a statement about the social world. This may emerge from an exploration of the entire story. The theme is the central message of a play/film. It is however possible to have sub-themes along with major dramatists who seek to make statements that have universal validity in their works. Generally, plays/films that treat common human problems make statements that have timeless relevance and consequently have more appeal as they speak to people of all ages and at all places.

5. Type
Finding out the type of the film. Is it action, adventure, comedy, drama, horror, science fiction, tragedy, religious, historical, documentary, thriller, western, war, martial arts, or musical?

6. Acting
Point out the main and supporting actors and actresses' performance in relation to the story.
Do they act appropriately according to the plot?

7.  Soundtrack
This includes the sound effects, noise and music.
Is the soundtrack adequate?
Are there any special sound effect used?

8. Lighting
Is the lighting artificial or natural?
How about the direction and the intensity of the lighting?

9. Screen Writer
The dialogues should be moved along the story and also sound realsitic,

10. Cinematography
This related to camera angle, camera movement, and camera distance (far shot, medium shot or close shot),

11. Rating
The most common ratings used are: starts, thumbs up and down, and letter grades.

  
IV. Tips
1. Point out the strength and the weakness,
2. View the film several times,
3. Try to read many professional reviewers in writing A film Review,
4. Focus on the elements to be analyzed and take down the notes,
5. Find out whether the elements in the film support each other,
6. Write a brief of the story clearly   


Reference
Ade, Olaofe Isaac and Oyeniyi Okunoye.2008. An Introduction to Literature and Literary Criticism. Abuja: National Open University of Nigeria.

Editorial Team. 1992. The American Heritage Dictionary of The English Language. Third Edition. Boston: Houghton Miffin.

Leo, Sutanto et al. 2007. English for Academic Purpose: Essay Writing. Yogjakarta: Penerbit Andi Offset.

The Use of 'Deh' and 'Dong' in Colloquial Jakartan Indonesian

The Use of 'Deh' and 'Dong' in Colloquial Jakartan Indonesian



Written by James Neil Sneddon in Colloquial Jakartan Indonesian. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. 2006. pp.118-119.




1. Deh
This occurs with statements as an emphatic particle urginghe listener to believe what is being said: ‘I’m telling you; that’s certainly the case’:

Nggak tau deh.
I don’t know, I tell you.

Gua udah bilang ama elu berkali-kali, deh.
I’ve told you (about it) repeatedly, haven’t I.

It frequently follows adjective predicates, emphasising thequality:

Lagi gua SMA tuh Inggris gua tu jelek. Jelek deh.
When I was in senior high school my English was dreadful. I was just dreadful.

Pasti gendut deh anaknya.
His kids are sure fat.
In an imperative structure deh strongly urges the listener to do something: ‘why don’t you; do it!’, or, with a negative, ‘don’t do it!’:

A: Elu belum nonton, yah?
B: Belum.
A: Nonton deh!
A: Haven’t you seen it yet?
B: Not yet.
A: Then go and see it!

Jangan pacaran lama-lama deh!
Don’t have a long-term relationship!


2. Dong
This occurs in statements to give strong emphasis, with a suggestion that the listener should already know that what is said is the case:

A: Itu kira-kira berapa rupiah? Sekitar dua puluh delapan ribu,mungkin, yah?
B: Lebih dong!
A: That’s about how many rupiah? About 28,000, perhaps?
B: Oh, more than that!
A: Maksudnya diiket pita merah jadi aneh.
B: Loh, enggak dong! Ijo, merah, biasalah!
I mean, if it’s tied with red ribbon it looks strange.
What! Oh, no! Green and red are the usual colours.

It occurs in imperatives, making them more emphatic. Here too there is a suggestion that the listener should know this is what to do or believe:

Kencengan dikit dong!
Speak a bit louder!

Eh, jangan manggil ‘Om’, dong!
Hey, don’t call me ‘Uncle!’

Although dong usually follows the statement or command it is also sometimes inserted within the proposition:

Jadi enggak mungkin dong kalo dia bilang uda tiga taon enggak make.
So it’s impossible you see if he says he hasn’t been using it for three years.

Kalo mau lewat-lewat bilang dong ‘misi’.
When you’re going to pass someone say ‘excuse me’.

Using Dictionary in Writing Skripsi/Thesis

    Using Dictionary in Writing Skripsi/Thesis

                                              Written by Ari Julianto

In writing a skripsi/thesis a dictionary and a thesaurusplays an important role. This kind of reference helps us in giving a valid definition of the term, or specific word to make the readers understand the content of the skripsi/thesis clearly.

There is a range of specialist dictionaries that might be useful to us as a guide in giving definitions and terms in writing a skripsi/thesis.

1. Subject Dictionary
 This gives us the meanings of specialist terms within a discipline. It gives a quick reference to explanations of specialist terms that are not found in general dictionaries.
For examples:
- Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics by Jack C. Richards, Richard W. Schmidt.
- Merriam-webster's Medical Dictionary by Merriam-Webster.
- Dictionary of Business and Economics Terms  by Jack P. Friedman.

2. Spelling Dictionary
This gives us correct spellings as well as frequently misspelt versions with the correct spelling alongside.
For examples:
- Scholastic Dictionary of Spelling by Marvin Terban and Harry Campbell.
- Webster's New World Speller/Divider by The Editors of the Webster's New World Dictionaries and Staff of Webster's New World Dictionary Webster's New World Pocket Misspeller's Dictionary by Michael E. Agnes .
-  Modern Chinese-English dictionary;: Romanized phonetic spelling basic word finding method, by I-chih Kuo.

3. Etymological Dictionary
This gives us the linguistic origins of words, and developments in their meaning.
For examples:
- The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology by C.T. Onions, G. W. S. Friedrichsen and R. W. Burchfield.
-Chambers Dictionary of Etymology by Robert K. Barnhart and Sol Steinmetz.  
- The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology (Oxford Paperback Reference) by T. F. Hoad. 

4. Collocation Dictionary
This gives us words that are often positioned together. This is useful when you find yourself searching for one word usually used alongside another.
For examples:
- Oxford Collocations Dictionary by Colin McIntosh, Ben Francis and Richard Poole.
- Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English by Diana Lea.
- Longman Collocations Dictionary and Thesaurus Paper with Online by Collective.

5. Rhyming Dictionary
This gives s the words with similar end sounds; useful when writing poetry.
For examples:
- Merriam-Webster's Rhyming Dictionary by Merriam-Webster.
- The Complete Rhyming Dictionary: Including The Poet's Craft Book by Clement Wood and Ronald J. Bogus.
- The New Comprehensive American Rhyming Dictionary by Sue Young.

6. Pronunciation Dictionary
This gives us a phonetic version of the headword. You can work out the phonetic code from the symbols that are given, usually at the front of the dictionary.
For examples:
- Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary by Daniel Jones, Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling.  
- Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, Paper with CD-ROM (3rd Edition) by J C Wells.
- Black's Law Dictionary with Pronunciations, 6th Edition (Centennial Edition 1891-1991) by Henry Campbell Black.

7. Bilingual Dictionary
This gives us equivalent words from two languages, often arranged in two sections, translating from one language to the other, and vice versa.
For examples:
- Barron's Spanish-English Pocket Bilingual Dictionary (Barron's Foreign Language Guides) by Dr. Margaret Cop. 
- French English Bilingual Visual Dictionary (DK Visual Dictionaries) by DK.
- Germanâ English Bilingual Visual Dictionary (DK Visual Dictionaries) by DK.


8. English Learner’s Dictionary
This primarily intended for those learning English as a second language, but very useful for all because they give examples of use, including idioms, and a  pronunciation guide.
For examples:
- Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary: Hardcover with CD-ROM by Collins COBUILD.
-  Oxford Advanced American Dictionary for learners of English by Inc. Oxford University Press.
- The Kodansha Kanji Learner's Dictionary by Jack Halpern.

Review of Related Literature

Review of Related Literature

 

Written by L.R.Gay, Geoffrey E. Mills and Peter Airasian  in Educational Research. Competencies for Analysis and Applications. New Jersey: Perason. pp. 80-81


Having happily found a suitable topic, the beginning researcher is usually raring to go. Too often the review of related literature is seen as a necessary evil to be completed as fast as possible so that one can get on with the "real research." This perspective reflects a lack of understanding of the purposes and importance of the review and a feeling of uneasiness on the part of students who are not sure how to report the literature. Nonetheless, the review of related literature is as important as any other component of the research process and can be conducted quite painlessly if approached in an orderly manner. Some researchers even find the process quite enjoyable!

I. Definition
The review of related literature involves the systematic identification, location, and analysis of documents containing information related to the research problem. The term is also used to describe the written component of a research plan or report that discusses the reviewed documents. These documents can include articles, abstracts, reviews, monographs dissertations, books, other research reports, and electronic media effort.

II. Purpose
The major purpose of reviewing the literature is to determine what has already been done that relates to your topic. This knowledge not only prevents you from unintentionally duplicating another person's research, but it also gives you the understanding and insight you need to place your topic within a logical framework.

Previous studies can provide the rationale for your research hypothesis, and indications of what needs to be done can help you justify the significance of your study. Put simply, the review tells you what has been done and what needs to be done.

Another important purpose of reviewing the literature is to discover research strategies and specific data collection approaches that have or have not been productive in investigations of topics similar to yours. This information will help you avoid other researchers' mistakes and profit from their experiences. It may suggest approaches and procedures that you previously had not considered. For example, suppose your topic involved the comparative effects of a brand new experimental method versus the traditional method on the achievement of eighth-grade science students.

III. Scope
The review of literature may reveal 10 related studies that found no differences in achievement. Several of the studies, however, may suggest that the brand-new method is more effective for certain kinds of students than for others. Thus, you may reformulate your topic to involve the comparative effectiveness of the brand-new method versus the traditional method on the achievement of a subgroup of eighth-grade science students: those with low aptitude.

Being familiar with previous research also facilitates interpretation of your study results. The results can be discussed in terms of whether and how they agree with previous findings. If the results contradict previous find ings, you can describe differences between your study and the others, providing a rationale for the discrepancy. If your results are consistent with other findings, your report should include suggestions for the next step; if they are not consistent, your report should include suggestions for studies that may resolve the conflict.

Beginning researchers often have difficulty determining how broad their literature reviews should be. They understand that all literature directly related to their topics should be reviewed; they just don't know when to quit! They have trouble determining which articles are "related enough" to their topic to be included. Unfortunately, no formula can be applied to solve the problem; you must base your decisions on your own judgment and the advice of your teachers or advisors.

IV. General Guidelines
The following general guidelines can assist you:
1. Avoid the temptation to include everything you  find in your literature review. Bigger does not mean better. A smaller, well-organized review is definitely preferred to a review containing many studies that are only tangentially related to the problem.

2. When investigating a heavily researched area, review only those works that are directly related to your specific problem. You'll find plenty of references and should not have to rely on less related studies. For example, the role of feedback in learning has been extensively studied in both non-human animals and human beings, for verbal learning and nonverbal learning, and for a variety of different learning tasks. Focus on those using similar subjects or similar variables—for example, if you were concerned with the relation between frequency of feedback and chemistry achievement, you would probably not have to review feedback studies related to non-human animal learning.

3. When investigating a new or little-researched problem area, review any study related in some meaningful way to your problem. You'll need to gather enough information to  develop a logical framework for the study and a sound rationale for the research hypothesis. For example, suppose you wanted to study the effects of an exam for non English speaking students on GPA. The students must pass the exam to graduate. Your literature review would probably include any studies that involved English as a second language (ESL) classes and the effects of culture-specific grading practices as well as studies that identified strategies to improve the learning of ESL students.

In a few years, there will probably be enough research on the academic consequences of such an exam on non-English speaking students to permit a much more narrowly focused literature review. A common misconception among beginning researchers is that the worth of a topic is directly related to the amount of literature available about it. This is not the case. For many new and important areas of research, few studies have been published; the effects of high-stakes testing is one such area. The very lack of such research oftenincreases the worth of its study.

On the other hand, the fact that a thousand studies have already been done in a given problem area does not mean there is no further need for research in that area. Such an area will generally be very well developed, and subtopics that need additional research will be readily identifiable.

The Changes of Similar Words between Tagalog and Indonesian

  
The Changes of Similar Words between Tagalog and Indonesian


                                              Written by Ari Julianto



The Tagalog language has developed a unique vocabulary sinceits inception from its Malayo-Polynesian roots. The influence of the Spanish, Nahuatl, Sanskrit,Pali, Persian, Arabic, English, Chinese, Japanese, and Indian languages can be seen in the Tagalog language.

According to the linguistic expert Jose Villa Panganiban, "of the 30,000 root words in the Tagalog language, there are close to 5,000 from Spanish, 3,200 from Malay and Chamorro, 1,500 from English, 1,500 from both Hokkien (Min Nan) and Yueh Chinese dialects, 300 from Sanskrit and Pali, 200 from Arabic, and a few hundred altogether from other languages".

Some linguists claim that borrowings from Malay and Chamorro cannot be ascertained at this time, as words from the Old Austronesian language and those from Malay and Chamorro are still ambiguous and too similar to be distinguished.

Meanwhile, Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) is the official language of Indonesia. It is a standardized register of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries.

Indonesia is the fourth most populous nation in the world. Of its large population, the number of people who speak Indonesian fluently is fast approaching 100%, making Indonesian one of the most widely spoken languages in the world.(Souce: Wikipedia).

Below is the short list of several similar words between Tagalog and Bahasa Indonesia.
Tagalog  Indonesian  Meaning
Anak     Anak = child
Anim    Enam = six
Apat    Empat = Four
Asin  (salt)    Asin (salty)
Asinan    Asinan = pickle
balik     balik = return
bangon     bangun  = wake up
bangkay bangkai = Corpse
bangis     bengis     fierce, ferocious
bansa     bangsa = nation
bawang (garlic) bawang merah (onion) bawang putih (garlic)
bayad     bayar = pay
bunso    bungsu = youngest child
dahon     daun = leaf
dating     datang = arrive
dingding     dinding = wall
gansa    angsa = goose
hangin     angin = wind
inumin     minum = drink
kambing    kambing = goat
kami     kami = we
kanan     kanan = right
kuko     kuku = nail
lalaki     lelaki = man
langit     langit = sky
langka     nangka = jackfruit
lima    lima = five
mahal     mahal = expensive
mangga     mangga = mango
mangkok    mangkok = bowl
manipis (thin)    menipis (become thin)
mapait     pahit = bitter
mata    mata = eye
mesa    meja = table
mula (from, since) mula (beginning)
mura    murah = cheap
pandak     pendek = short
pinggan     pinggan rarely used = plate
sakit     sakit = ill
sayang    sayang = it's too bad
siko     siku = elbow
sulat     surat = letter
taksi    taksi = taxi
tali     tali (rope) = string
taon    tahun = year
tawa    tawa = laugh
tainga/tenga    telinga = ear
tulak     tolak = push
tulong    tolong = help
tumpok    tumpuk = a pile
tusok     tusuk = pierce
uban     uban = gray hair
ubi     ubi = yam

From the above list of words, we can see that there arethree types of words change between Tagalog and Bahasa Indonesia, they are:

1. Change in vowel
Between Tagalog and Bahasa Indonesia, there is One vowel change. The position of the vowel can be in end-position like ako (T) = Aku (BI), Siko (T) = Siku (BI), and mid-position like Tolong (BI) = Tulong (T), lelaki (BI) = Lalaki (T).

2. Change in consonant
Between Tagalog and Bahasa Indonesia, there is One consonanat change like sulat (T) = surat (BI), tainga (T) = telinga (BI),

3. Missing/adding Infix
Between Tagalog and Bahasa Indonesia, there is a difference in infix like dingding (T) = dinding (BI), bunso (T) = bungsu (BI).

4. Missing/adding  letter
Between Tagalog and Bahasa Indonesia, there is one or two letters missed or added like mura (T) = murah (BI), dahon (T) = daun (BI).

Some other words have difference in pronunciation although the words in two languages are similar. And the rest might be different in usage only.

This is only a short analysis and I hope today's posting will be useful for all of us. Amien.



Reference
Meman, Paz B. 1990. Tagalog Language Packet. Manila: Peace Corps. Manila.

Tim Redaksi. 2008. Kamus Bahasa Indonesia.Jakarta: Pusat Bahasa Departemen Pendidikan Nasional.

New School Curriculum ‘Vulnerable to Corruption’: Education Coalition

New School Curriculum ‘Vulnerable to Corruption’: Education Coalition

                     By Jakarta Globe on 10:52 am March 21, 2013.


The Coalition to Reject the 2013 Education Curriculum is planning to report to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) its findings on potential corruption practices linked to the new school curriculum, an activist said on Thursday.

JG Photo/Yudhi Sukma Wijaya

The coalition is composed of members of the Indonesia Corruption Watch, the Indonesia Teachers’ Union and several education observers.Febri Hendri, the ICW coordinator for public service monitoring, was quoted by the Tempo Interaktif online news portal as saying that the coalition believed the new curriculum provided too many opportunities for corruption.

“The budget is vulnerable to corruption, especially in the provision of textbooks,” Febri told Tempo. However, he declined to provide more details, saying that he preferred to meet with the KPK leadership.

ICW has reported that from 2004 to 2011, there were at least six corruption cases linked to the procurement of books, totaling state losses of Rp 54.9 billion ($5.64 million).Febri said that the coalition was awaiting a response from the KPK on when members could meet with the leaders of the antigraft body.

The new education curriculum is expected to be implemented in the 2013-2014 school year, which begins in July. It has been met with mounting opposition from many in the education sector, who said that the new curriculum was putting too much emphasis on religious and moral education and not enough focus on science and English.

The government has requested Rp 2.49 trillion to develop and implement the national school curriculum, which experts say could be used to address the discrepancy in the numbers of quality teachers between major cities and remote areas of the country. Textbook provision gets an allotment of Rp 1.2 trillion, while another Rp 1.09 trillion is earmarked for teacher training.

The Coalition to Reject the 2013 Education Curriculum earlier this month delivered a petition with more than 1,500 signatures to the Education Ministry, rejecting Indonesia’s new school curriculum which will see science and social studies dropped as core subjects in July. The ICW, parents, teachers and practitioners started the petition on Dec. 5 after they failed to reach an agreement with ministry officials following a series of talks.

The new curriculum sparked controversy and polarized the nation when it was revealed in December, with proponents of the plan arguing that their children had long felt overburdened by the curriculum.

But opponents of the plan argued that it would make Indonesians less competitive in the globalized market and discriminate against those who could not afford to send their children to private English and science tuition centers.

Wordy Words And Phrases

             Wordy Words And Phrases

Written by Daniel Holtom & Elizabeth Fisher in Eniov Writing Your Science Thesis or Dissertation. London. Imperial College Press. 1999. pp.256-260.

  

Image: samingersoll.com

Try to remove these words and phrases from your text. They  are usually unnecessary.

1. above

Above can cause wordiness, for example,

The argument experiment outlined above proved crucial to our research.

You could just write,

This proved crucial to our research.

Below is a little more useful. You can use it as a signpost for related information or argument the reader will find useful, for example,

I will deal with this contradiction below.

2. amount

‘A large amount’ is vague, and ‘a maximum’ amount is redundant maximum and minimum are amounts.

3. all, all of

Try to get rid of the ‘of, ‘all the samples’ is more concise than ‘all of the samples’.

4. area

My research was in the area of delta wing aeronautical  design.

could be written more concisely,

My research was in delta wing aeronautical design.

5. as far as

As far asbore holes are concerned, I had no problems.

You could just write, I had no problems with bore holes.

6. both, both of

Both of the traces indicated an increase in activity. This does not need the of and could be written,

Both traces indicated an increase in activity.

6. capability

The plastic has the capability of reforming itself.

You could just write,

The plastic can reform itself,

7. cause and result

At times you have to make clear what is a cause and what is a result, but

there are often quicker ways of saying what you mean; compare the

following, for example,

The addition of NaCI caused an improvement in taste.

Adding NaCl improved the taste.

8. clearly demonstrates, shows

If data clearly demonstrate a phenomenon, then they really show it.

The spectrophotometer readings clearly demonstrate a decrease in density.

The spectrophotometer readings show a decrease in density.

9. definitely

Unless there is some question hanging over what you are saying, definitely

is unnecessary and often looks desperate to be convincing.

10. due to the fact that

This really means ‘because’. . .

11. in addition

If you are adding something to your text, you do not need to tell the reader

you are doing so by using ‘in addition’.

12. in colour, in appearance

Both of these phrases are unnecessary,

The landfish was red in colour.

The landfish was red in appearance.

could simply be written as,

The landfish was red.

13. in order to

Use ‘to’.

14. literally

A word best avoided in your thesis. You whole text should be literal.

15. manner

Manneralways makes your sentence wordy.

The chemical were added in a slow manner.

The chemicals were added slowly. [This example is also vague.]

16. nature

Chewing gum has an elastic nature.

Chewing gum is elastic.

17. process

Unless you are actually discussing a process this is a word to avoid. For

example, you do not have to write ‘the stratification 

18. personally

Personally I think.. .

This is not only wordy but can deflate your argument. It implies that other

people would disagree with you. I think does the job better.

19. pooled together

If you pool samples, then they must be together, so you could write,

The sulphide samples were pooled together.

as simply, The sulphide samples were pooled.

20. reason, because

You only need one of them, as they do the same job.

21. seldom ever

You do not need the ever.

22. similar, very similar

The veryis redundant. Writing that two items are very similar tells us no

more than if we write they are similar.

23. sized

Large sized.. .

If something is large, we know this refers to size, so the word sized is

redundant. [This example is also vague.]

24. that

One that in a sentence is normally more than enough unless you want to

stress a point; for example, the first and second sentences are clear, the

third sentence is full of redundant thats:

I found I could not move, wanted to go to the toilet, had a headache, and had fallen down the stairs.

I found that I could not move, wanted to go to the toilet, had a headache, and had fallen down the stairs.

I found that I could not move, that I wanted to go to the toilet, that I had a headache, and that I had fallen down the stairs.

25. the field of

This is useful when you are giving the general area in which you work,

My research was in the field of Para-psychology.

but it can get overused,

The field of para-psychology is seldom taken seriously by other scientists.

could equally well be written,

Para-psychology is seldom taken seriously by other